n. [ Aver, n. + penny. ] (Old Eng. Law) Money paid by a tenant in lieu of the service of average. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Made or contrived for getting small sums of money from the ignorant or unwary; as, a catchpenny book; a catchpenny show. -- n. Some worthless catchpenny thing. [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Cf. Arles, 4th Earnest. ] Earnest money. Same as Arles penny. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

[ Corruption of five penny bit. ] The Spanish half real, or one sixteenth of a dollar, -- so called in Pennsylvania and the adjacent States. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Before the act of Congress, Feb. 21, 1857, caused the adoption of decimal coins and the withdrawal of foreign coinage from circulation, this coin passed currently for 61/4 cents, and was called in New England a fourpence ha'penny or fourpence; in New York a sixpence; in Pennsylvania, Virginia, etc., a fip; and in Louisiana, a picayune. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Something which gets or gains money; a successful affair. [ Colloq. ] Chapman. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.;pl. Half-pence r Half-pennies An English coin of the value of half a penny, no longer minted; also, the value of half a penny.
Syn. -- ha'penny. [ 1913 Webster + WordNet 1.5 ]

n. the amount that can be bought for a halfpenny.
Syn. -- ha'p'orth. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. A half-penny. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A devourer or absorber of money. “Law is a lickpenny.” Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. 1. 2-3/4 in or 7 cm long; -- used of nail size; as, a ninepenny nail. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. costing 9 cents (US) or 5 pence (Britain). [ WordNet 1.5 ]

a. [ Perh. a corruption of pun, for pound. ] Denoting the weight in pounds for one thousand; -- used in combination, with respect to nails; as, tenpenny nails, nails of which one thousand weight ten pounds. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Pennies r Pence Pennies denotes the number of coins; pence the amount of pennies in value. [ OE. peni, AS. penig, pening, pending; akin to D. penning, OHG. pfenning, pfenting, G. pfennig, Icel. penningr; of uncertain origin. ] 1. A former English coin, originally of copper, then of bronze, the twelfth part of an English shilling in account value, and equal to four farthings, or about two cents; -- usually indicated by the abbreviation d. (the initial of denarius). [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ “The chief Anglo-Saxon coin, and for a long period the only one, corresponded to the denarius of the Continent . . . [ and was ] called penny, denarius, or denier.” R. S. Poole. The ancient silver penny was worth about three pence sterling (see Pennyweight). The old Scotch penny was only one twelfth the value of the English coin. In the United States the word penny is popularly used for cent. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Any small sum or coin; a groat; a stiver. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. Money, in general; as, to turn an honest penny. [ 1913 Webster ]

What penny hath Rome borne,
What men provided, what munition sent? Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Script.) See Denarius. [ 1913 Webster ]

Penny cress (Bot.), an annual herb of the Mustard family, having round, flat pods like silver pennies (Thlaspi arvense). Also spelled pennycress. Dr. Prior. --
Penny dog (Zool.), a kind of shark found on the South coast of Britain: the tope. --
Penny pincher,
Penny father, a penurious person; a miser; a niggard. The latter phrase is now obsolete. Robinson (More's Utopia). --
Penny grass (Bot.), pennyroyal. [ R. ] --
Penny post, a post carrying a letter for a penny; also, a mail carrier. --
Penny wise, wise or prudent only in small matters; saving small sums while losing larger; penny-wise; -- used chiefly in the phrase, penny wise and pound foolish. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Worth or costing one penny; as, penny candy. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who furnishes matter to public journals at so much a line; a poor writer for hire; a hack writer. Thackeray. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. Any of several plants of the genus Thlaspi; see penny cress. [ Also spelled penny cress. ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. Extreme care in spending money; reluctance to spend money unnecessarily.
Syn. -- parsimony, parsimoniousness, thrift. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. Scrimping; reluctant to spend money; stingy; miserly; same as cheesparing.
Syn. -- cheeseparing, close. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. [ A corruption of OE. puliall royal. OE. puliall is ultimately derived fr. L. puleium, or pulegium regium (so called as being good against fleas), fr. pulex a flea; and royal is a translation of L. regium, in puleium regium. ] (Bot.) An aromatic herb (Mentha Pulegium) of Europe; also, a North American plant (Hedeoma pulegioides) resembling it in flavor. [ 1913 Webster ]

Bastard pennyroyal (Bot.) See Blue curls, under Blue. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A troy weight containing twenty-four grains, or the twentieth part of a troy ounce; 1.555 grams; as, a pennyweight of gold or of arsenic. It is abbreviated dwt or pwt. It was anciently the weight of a silver penny, whence the name. [ 1913 Webster + PJC ]

adj. 1. Thrifty in small matters only. Used mostly in the phrase penny-wise and pound foolish. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

n. (Bot.) A European trailing herb (Linaria Cymbalaria) with roundish, reniform leaves. It is often cultivated in hanging baskets. [ 1913 Webster ]

March pennywort, or
Water pennywort. (Bot.) See under March. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. A penny's worth; as much as may be bought for a penny. “A dear pennyworth.” Evelyn. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Hence: The full value of one's penny expended; due return for money laid out; a good bargain; a bargain. [ 1913 Webster ]

The priests sold the better pennyworths. Locke. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A small quantity; a trifle. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

n.; pl. Pickpennies A miser; also, a sharper. Dr. H. More. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. A miserly person. [ 1913 Webster ]

{ or . See Peter pence, under Peter. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who gathers and hoards money in trifling sums; a miser. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of the value of, or costing, sixpence; as, a sixpenny loaf. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Valued or sold at ten pence; as, a tenpenny cake. See 2d Penny, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Denoting a size of nails. See 1st Penny. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. (A.S. Law) A third part of the profits of fines and penalties imposed at the country court, which was among the perquisites enjoyed by the earl. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Costing or worth three pence; hence, worth but little; poor; mean. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. An honest fellow. Shak. Bacon. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Sold for a shilling; worth or costing a shilling. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Of the value of twopence. [ 1913 Webster ]

(Bot.) Marsh pennywort. See under Marsh. [ 1913 Webster ]